Flashlight head



Oct. 28, 1941. B. F. MULDOON FLASHLIGHT HEAD Filed Nov. 18, 1938 MM INVENTOR- RNEY.

24 z/mm ,or for warning purposes.

Patented Oct. 28, 1941 FLASHLIGHT HEAD Bernard F. Muldoon, Mountainview, N. .L, as-

signor to Henry Hyman, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application November 18, 1938, Serial No. 241,130

Claims.

This invention relates to a flashlight head that is especially useful in connection with signaling By this invention a flashlight head is made in such a way that it is readily visible from the sides when it is lighted so that the presence of one carrying it in the dark can be recognized easily.

In carrying out this invention a flashlight head is made of translucent material that may be colored in different colors, such as red for example. This head is made so that it can be conveniently attached to a flashlight casing, and contains a reflector as well as a lens at the outer end thereof, and can be adapted to aid in keeping the lamp bulb in place. A predetermined portion of this flashlight head is to be illuminated, and it is preferably provided either on the inside or outside or both with irregularities such as ribs or small projections in the shapes of pyramids, cones or cylinders, so that the light that passes therethrough will be diffused and render this portion of the head conspicuously visible from the sides of the flashlight.

The invention will be understood from the description in connection with the accompanying drawing which is a longitudinal section through an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing, reference character I indicates a portion of a flashlight casing that may be of a well known sort. A portion of one of the battery cells 2 having a center contact 3 is also indicated. The end of 'the casing l is externally threaded, as indicated at 4, and an electric light bulb -5 is held in place by being screwed into the plate 6 so that its center contact contacts with the center contact 3 when it is desired to light the bulb. The switch mechanism for lighting or flashing the bulb may be of any well known sort, and since this mechanism does not constitute any part of this invention it is not shown on the drawing.

The flashlight head I has its smaller end or lower part 8 internally threaded at 9 to screw onto the threads 4 to attach this head to the casing I. The intermediate portion H' is gradually enlarged and merges into the cylindrical portion l2.

A lens I3 is retained at the end of the portion l2 by means of a ring [4 that has internal threads I5 screwing onto the threads I 6 of the portion l2.

A reflector I1 is held in place in the head 1 in any convenient way and may be shaped of different shapes in accordance with the character of the beam of light that is desired for illuminating purposes. A plurality of perforations or passages I8 are provided through the walls of the lens I! along its lower portion to permit the desired rays of light from the bulb to pass throughthe passages and strike the inside portion ll of the head 8 along a predetermined section thereof.

Irregularities of different sorts may be provided on the inside or outside of the portion II to diffuse the light and render this portion readily visible from the outside. In the particular illustration shown on the drawing, these irregularities are in the form of circular ribs l9, but it is well known that other irregularities can be used for this purpose.

Some or all of the passages or perforations l8 may be filled with glass or other transparent material which will permit sufficient light to pass through to illumine the portion II and still help reflect some of the light that may be needed for the direct beam of light that is used for illuminating purposes.

What is claimed is:

1. In a flashlight head a body portion of translucent material adapted to support a lens, a reflector in said body portion having perforations along its lower portion so that light rays are projected laterally from the lamp bulb through said reflector directly into contact with said body portion.

2. In a flashlight head, a body portion of translucent material adapted to support a lens, a reflector in said body portion having openings through the lower portion thereof to permit light from a lamp bulb inside of said reflector to pass laterally from the lamp bulb through said reflector into contact with a predetermined portion of said body portion to render it visible from the outside.

3. A flashlight head in accordance with claim 2\, in which the body portion of translucent material is provided with light-diffusing means.

4. A flashlight head in accordance with claim 2, in which the body portion of translucent material is provided with irregularities to diffuse light.

5. In a flashlight head in accordance with claim 2 in which the body portion of said head has a screw threaded smaller end and a lens retaining larger end.

BERNARD F. MULDOON. 

